The Google Books Settlement is back in the news. The Justice Department has opened an antitrust investigation into the deal that would would allow Google to profit from the digitization and licensing of millions of copyrighted books from the country’s leading university libraries. The New York Times has an article today about the new Justice [...]
The Pirate Bay file-sharing lawsuit is back in the news this morning. Pirate Bay lawyer demands retrial Pirate Bay lawyer demands retrial, saying judge was biased in file-sharing case Malin Rising, Associated Press Writer Thursday April 23, 2009, 7:34 am EDT STOCKHOLM (AP) — A defense lawyer in the Pirate Bay file-sharing case said Thursday [...]
Material weaknesses in internal control are not just found in the private sector. Check out this report released by the General Accounting Office (GAO) today: During its audit of the fiscal year 2008 CFS, GAO identified continuing and new control deficiencies in the federal government’s processes used to prepare the CFS. You can read the [...]
During my copyright workshops, I often joke that you won’t be sent to jail for copyright infringement. Sued, maybe. Jail, generally no. The exception to this, I always note, is for “high stakes infringers” such as those who resell pirated movies, music and software on a massive scale. Or, as we saw today, the founders [...]
April 15, Tax Day. Tax accountants across the country will be taking much needed vacations starting tomorrow. Like many presidents before him, Barack Obama has released his tax return. According to the Tax History Project Individual income tax returns — including those of public figures — are private information, protected by law from unauthorized disclosure. [...]
Cap and Trade has been all over the news since President Obama’s inauguration and was a central issue during the campaign. Below are a few reputable sources for information on the issue, both from the federal government. The Congressional Budget Office’s (CBO) Climate Change portal has excellent information on Cap and Trade. You will find [...]
A report released today by the U. S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) fraud identifies fraud in the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) program which provides federal contracting assistance to small firms located in economically distressed areas. According to the report, HUBZone Program: Fraud and Abuse Identified in Four Metropolitan Areas, the [...]
Locating foreign trade statistics is easy if you know where to look. The Census Bureau’s Foreign Trade Statistics could not be easier to use. When you’re there, click on the Statistics link to find lots of great data. For example, you can find current import / export data for every country. You’ll also find export data [...]
Last month, the unemployment rate continued to rise. Numbers released this morning by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) show a national unemployment rate of 8.5 percent, up from 8.1 percent in February. How do these numbers stack up to past recessions? Check out the historical unemployment numbers from the BLS. You can find numbers [...]